Blitz Review & Giveaway ~ Say My Name ~ J. Kenner

I'm thrilled to be a part of the blitz for J. Kenner's Say My Name. This is the first in her Stark International series, and a spin-off of her Stark Trilogy. Below you'll find all the details on the book, my review, and a giveaway. Enjoy!

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Say My Name
Stark International #1
Release Date: April 7, 2015
Genre: Adult, Contemporary Romance, Erotic Romance
Source: I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 4.5 Bookworms
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Synopsis
I never let anyone get too close--but he's the only man who's ever made me feel alive.

Meeting Jackson Steele was shock to my senses. Confident and commanding, he could take charge of any room...or any woman. And Jackson wanted me. The mere sight of him took my breath away, and his touch made me break all my rules.

Our bond was immediate, our passion untamed. I wanted to surrender completely to his kiss, but I couldn't risk his knowing the truth about my past. Yet Jackson carried secrets too, and in our desire we found our escape, pushing our boundaries as far as they could go. 

Learning to trust is never easy. In my mind, I knew I should run. But in my heart, I never felt a fire this strong--and it could either save me or scorch me forever.

Say My Name is an erotic romance intended for mature audiences.

Does it say something awful about me that I relish the broken characters J. Kenner creates? That the traumatic pasts they've endured and the scars, both physical and emotional, they carry wring emotion from me and keep me riveted to the page. That bearing witness to them finding that one person who holds the key to unlock their secrets, to tear down their walls, and lead them each out of that darkness and into the light of love fills me with contentment. Well, if it does say something awful, I'll just have to live with that.

Sylvia Brooks, who we met in the Stark Trilogy as Damien's assistant, is an intelligent and tenacious woman. She's tenacious about following her dreams in her career, and tenacious about the rules she follows in order to keep her love life under control and her secrets intact. She's worked hard to earn a project management position on a real estate project that is her brain child. When things threaten to destroy her dream, she turns to the one man she has tenaciously avoided for the past 5 years.

Jackson Steele is a brilliant architect on the cusp of real greatness. He has no intention of doing any work for Stark International, particularly if Sylvia is involved. She's the one woman who managed to shred him. When she approaches him for help, he sees a way to exact revenge. But after spending some time with her, he realizes not all is as he believed.

Both Sylvia and Jackson have demons and secrets they're fighting and hiding. Seeing the walls come down for them both is an emotional experience. Jackson wants to slay all Sylvia's demons but his demons threaten to destroy the tenuous bond they have.

Kenner's story flowed beautifully. The chemistry and intensity between Sylvia and Jackson was visceral. Tension is ratcheted up a few notches as it seems someone is conspiring against them - and it's hard to tell whether it's business or personal. And while I figured out a few things prior to their reveal (and I think I have a few others puzzled out but we shall see) it was a captivating story. I like the darkness in both the characters - the stories they've yet to share. But that promise of love and light - that's why I'll keep reading their story.

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J. Kenner (aka Julie Kenner) is the New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, Wall Street Journal and International bestselling author of over seventy novels, novellas and short stories in a variety of genres. Though known primarily for her award-winning and international bestselling erotic romances (including the Stark and Most Wanted series) that have reached as high as #2 on the New York Times bestseller list, JK has been writing full time for over a decade in a variety of genres including paranormal and contemporary romance, "chicklit" suspense, urban fantasy, Victorian-era thrillers (coming soon), and paranormal mommy lit. Her foray into the latter, Carpe Demon: Adventures of a Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom by Julie Kenner, has been consistently in development in Hollywood since prior to publication. Most recently, it has been optioned by Warner Brothers Television for development as series on the SW Network with Alloy Entertainment producing. JK has been praised by Publishers Weekly as an author with a "flair for dialogue and eccentric characterizations" and by RT Bookclub for having "cornered the market on sinfully attractive, dominant antiheroes and the women who swoon for him." A three time finalist for Romance Writers of America's prestigious RITA award, JK took home the first RITA trophy awarded in the category of erotic romance in 2014 for her novel, Claim Me (book 2 in her Stark Trilogy). Her books have sold well over a million copies and are published in over twenty countries. In her previous career as an attorney, JK worked as a clerk on the Fifth Circuit of Appeals, and practiced primarily civil, entertainment and First Amendment litigation in Los Angeles and Irvine, California, as well as in Austin, Texas. She currently lives in Central Texas, with her husband, two daughters, and two rather spastic cats.

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